Orbital or in-line sanders have a base for supporting an abrasive sheet, or consisting of an abrasive block or pad. This abrasive-supporting base is mounted to a motor-driven oscillating mechanism. The sander may be configured to accept bases of different shapes (e.g. rectangular, triangular or elongate fingers) for differing applications, and typically these bases are mounted by screw fasteners. Providing detachable bases of this kind makes the sander more versatile, however this arrangement is not without some drawbacks. For instance, the replacement operation can be time-consuming and there is a need to carry or store replacement bases, some of which may be small parts that are readily misplaced.
In addition to the entire base being detachable, it is known to provide abrasive-supporting bases made in one or more detachable parts. EP 1 166 963 describes a sander in which different shaped tips may be connected to provide different shaped base assemblies. The detachable tips are releasably connected by hooks that cooperate with a spring-loaded latch, thereby avoiding the need for tools to re-configure the base. However, this design does not otherwise address the drawbacks of this arrangement, such as those mentioned above. It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantages or more generally to provide an improved sander.